Keep Learning

Superstitions surrounding ladybugs vary from culture to culture, but most are positive. Some Asian cultures believe that a ladybug caught and released flies off to one's true love and whispers them his name. In early Catholic cultures, the seven spots on a ladybug were said to represent the seven virtues of the Virgin Mary, which is how the ladybug got its name.

People's good relations with ladybugs stems from the bug's harmlessness, visual appeal and utility. Not only do people consider ladybugs to be good luck, but farmers actually encourage them to land on their crops to kill and eat the many aphids that can infest and destroy them. As a matter of fact, a single ladybugs can eat up to 5,000 aphids in its lifetime. Children are often told never to kill a ladybug because the good that these insects can do outweighs the harm.

Ladybugs are thought to bring about a number of lucky things when they land on a person, such as love, good weather, financial success or the granting of wishes.